Chapter 51 Because whether it's him or Liu Qing...
Qin Ren has never bought anyone, not because he doesn't have the money, but because he's not used to buying people.
Even though he knew perfectly well that it was a lucky thing for him to have bought those servants.
Because both he and Liu Qingyue are very easy to get along with.
They were able to work as servants in the Qin family, and they certainly wouldn't have to work as hard as they would in other families.
However, knowing this is one thing, Qin Ren, as a modern person, still felt that buying people was wrong.
It's a pity that Qin Ren's family is too small. If he doesn't buy a few loyal servants, he probably won't be able to live in such a big house by himself.
Also, the house is too big; it can't function without someone cleaning and taking care of it.
Therefore, Qin Ren still needs to hire people. These people are not only to take care of Liu Qingyue, but also to cultivate his own people. Only by having his own people can Qin Ren do things more conveniently in the future.
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue nodded. "Sure, by the way, after my father... many of the Liu family members became government slaves. I wonder if we could buy them?"
Unlike other slaves, government slaves could never change their place of origin for their entire lives.
If Liu Qingyue doesn't buy them, their future will definitely be miserable.
Especially those women and boys, they are very likely to become government prostitutes.
They share the same blood, and regardless of their usual relationship, Liu Qingyue cannot ignore them.
Qin Ren: "We certainly can't buy them, much less keep them around. However... we can't buy them ourselves, but we can find someone to buy them and send them to the countryside far from the capital. As long as they're not under the emperor's nose, he shouldn't keep thinking about them."
"I... I'm just afraid that someone will try to buy it from us. What if... what if they buy it from some high-ranking official or nobleman, and that person happens to have a bad relationship with the Liu family? I'm very worried that they will be bullied by that person."
The Liu family's actions constituted a serious crime of rebellion, and ordinary families certainly wouldn't dare to associate with them at this time. Therefore, it's highly unlikely that an average family would buy the Liu family's property. Those who would want to buy the Liu family's property are most likely enemies with whom the Liu family has a bad relationship.
It's obvious that these enemies bought up the Liu family members with the intention of humiliating them, so it's not surprising that Liu Qingyue would be worried.
Qin Ren: "Don't be afraid. I've thought about this before. When the time comes, I'll plead with Prince Ying and find someone to buy them all. Then we'll send them to a more remote place. They're government slaves. Once we change their names, no one will know they're from the Liu family, so no one will deliberately make things difficult for them."
The Liu family members are now imprisoned and will only be demoted to government slaves after Minister Liu and others are beheaded.
In fact, Liu Yuze and Qi Shi have been trying to find a solution recently.
The price of government slaves was not high, and it was not difficult for them to buy them.
The difficulty lies in the fact that they cannot buy it themselves, and they may not be able to compete with others.
Hearing Qin Ren say that they could ask Prince Ying to step in and resolve the issue, Liu Qingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Those high-ranking officials and nobles dared not target Prince Ying, as it would indeed be much easier for Prince Ying to intervene than for them.
"Is it really possible? Won't Prince Ying find it too troublesome?"
"No, I'm quite a favorite of his now. Besides, the Liu family's rebellion has nothing to do with their families. We can't protect the men, but we can protect the elderly, women, and children."
With Qin Ren's assurance, Liu Qingyue was no longer as worried as before.
He and Qin Ren took a few more photos, and then the two of them prepared to rest together.
The two of them agreed to postpone consummating their marriage.
However, not consummating their marriage does not mean they must sleep in separate rooms.
If others find out they sleep in separate rooms, they'll assume their relationship isn't good, and then they'll definitely start gossiping.
Also, they'll consummate their marriage sooner or later, so living together early to get to know each other better will save them from awkwardness later.
Liu Qingyue lay down on the inside of the bed and muttered to himself, "We need to buy servants first, and then renovate the house. It seems like there's a lot to do. You probably can't stay with me all the time, so could I bring my mother to live with us first? That way, I'll have someone to help me with everything."
Qin Ren lay down on the outside. It was still very hot, so he didn't cover himself with a blanket.
Qin Ren was also wearing modern-style pajamas. They were ordinary pajamas with no patterns and a very simple design.
He reached out and lowered the bed curtains, then said to Liu Qingyue beside him, "Sure, you can arrange it as you see fit."
Liu Qingyue smiled upon hearing this, because he was too tired today and knew that Qin Ren wouldn't touch him tonight. He fell asleep after saying a few more words.
Qin Ren turned over to look at him, making sure he was asleep, and soon followed suit.
Qin Ren rushed into the marriage because he was afraid something might happen to Liu Qingyue.
Now that he has finally married her and she is sleeping right next to him, he feels much more at ease.
The next day, the two slept in late and didn't get up until almost noon.
Yesterday, Liu Yuze, Qi Shi, and others stayed here to rest.
Liu Yuze had her own things to do and left early in the morning.
The men that Prince Ying assigned to Qin Ren were mainly there to assist him in his marriage. Now that Qin Ren's wedding was complete, those men bid him farewell and went back to report.
Qin Ren first sent away the King of Ying's people, and then together with Liu Qingyue, sent away the Qi family's people.
Seeing that Madam Qi was also about to leave, Liu Qingyue quickly said, "Mother, Qin Ren is going to add someone to the household this afternoon. Could you come with me and help me check?"
Qi Shi thought that Qin Ren was quite busy, and there was no elder in the Qin family to teach Liu Qingyue. Liu Qingyue was still a bit unfamiliar with housekeeping, so it was indeed inconvenient for her to leave now.
Madam Qi nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll keep an eye on things for you, so you two don't end up picking a troublemaker."
Qin Ren went out for a while at noon, so Liu Qingyue took the opportunity to take stock of his things.
Qin Ren kept most of his belongings in the modern house; he didn't have much of his stuff in his new home.
Liu Qingyue had a lot of things: wedding clothes, shoes and socks, a dressing table and makeup box that Qin Ren had bought for her...
There were also the betrothal gifts and dowry Qin Ren gave him; all of these things were kept in one room.
Liu Qingyue and Madam Qi checked everything together to make sure nothing was missed, and then the two sat down and chatted.
Madam Qi: "He bought you a shop and twenty acres of fertile land. After you return to your parents' home, your mother will take you to see the place and rent out the land you own."
"Tian is outside the city. Let's go there together when Qin Ren or my brother is free."
“That’s fine. The capital is not as peaceful as it used to be, so we should be careful when leaving the city.”
Last year there was turmoil, and now the north has finally stabilized, but that doesn't mean it's completely safe.
Thinking back to when Liu Qingyue was lost last year, Madam Qi still feels lingering fear.
They had finally reunited, and Liu Qingyue had gotten married peacefully; they couldn't afford any more accidents.
Like a little miser, Liu Qingyue put all his house deeds and land deeds together, and then looked at the thousand taels of silver that Qin Ren had given him.
This is too much money. The new house doesn't even have guards yet. Even if he buys servants this afternoon, he still doesn't feel at ease.
After thinking it over, Liu Qingyue decided to hide most of the silver in the passage so that he could feel at ease.
After his home was searched, he finally understood that even his own home wasn't safe.
It's best to leave the good stuff in the passageway, since no one else will enter there, and Qin Ren won't embezzle his silver. So that's an absolutely safe place.
In the afternoon, Qin Ren returned from outside, bringing with him the brokers and two carts of servants.
These servants were originally free people, but many of them were forced into slavery due to family misfortunes, just like the family members of the Liu family.
Such servants are often literate, unlike ordinary servants, and their prices are naturally higher.
Qin Ren told them to stay in the front yard while he went to invite Qi Shi and Liu Qingyue to come and select people.
Their yard is large, requiring at least two guards.
Guards are usually young men, and Liu Qingyue frowned as she made her selection with Qi Shi.
Qi chose a meek and obedient man, while Liu Qingyue chose a slightly younger boy.
Such a young man costs eight taels of silver per person, so two of them would cost sixteen taels of silver.
Once you've chosen your guards, you need to select the household servants.
Such lowly servants were responsible for menial tasks such as sweeping and washing clothes.
They usually select women or men in their thirties or forties who are strong and healthy.
Liu Qingyue wasn't as good at judging people as Qi Shi and Qin Ren. He was soft-hearted and also a sucker for good looks.
He worried that he might be too soft-hearted and end up choosing a troublesome person to bring home because they were good-looking or looked pitiful.
So Liu Qingyue shook her head slightly and said to Qin Ren and Qi Shi beside her, "You two choose, I don't know how to choose."
Qin Ren smiled upon hearing this, "Then you should choose a servant or maid for yourself. The servant who will serve you personally should be someone you like."
If you don't like it yourself, you'll feel uncomfortable even if you face it every day.
Liu Qingyue pursed her lips and began to choose from among a group of women and boys.
Then he took a fancy to a young girl who looked somewhat like his former personal maid.
The other person had a meek and obedient appearance, a round face, and seemed quite honest.
Liu Qingyue pointed to her, "This one looks pretty good."
Good-looking young women and men are more expensive than young and middle-aged men.
The maid Liu Qingyue wanted cost ten taels of silver, which was considered quite expensive.
After that, Qin Ren and Qi Shi selected four more people, including two rough servants, both of whom were young men in their thirties or forties.
A coachman who knew how to drive a carriage; this coachman was a bit old, and looked to be over fifty.
The other one was a woman, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, who knew a bit about cooking and was specifically bought to be her cook.
Including the two guards and one maid, there are seven people in total.
When Qi saw that the Qin family had suddenly gained so many strangers, while the Qin family only had Qin Ren and Liu Qingyue, Qi was not very at ease with them here.
Among these seven people, there are three adult men. If one of them has bad intentions, it would be a terrible thing.
So Qi shamelessly said, "Brother-in-law, how about this? I'll stay here for the next few days and train the servants for you. That way, you won't have to go back to your parents' home. You can go about your business as usual, and I'll take good care of the household."
Their family is already in such a state, and the Qin family doesn't have any elders.
Qi felt that those rules and regulations were unimportant, since they would be laughed at no matter what they did.
They don't care about their reputation now; all she cares about is Liu Qingyue's safety and happiness.
Qin Ren: "Of course, if Mother is worried about this place, she can also ask my brother to come and stay with us. We have many houses here, so it will be more lively if more people come."
Liu Yuze has his own things to do and definitely can't stay here.
However, Liu Yuze cannot stay here, but one or two people from the Qi family can come over.
A few people from the Qi family came to stay, and Madam Qi could observe these servants with them.
Those with good character and who are obedient will be kept.
If someone has a bad character and is scheming, sell them off as soon as possible to avoid any potential problems.
Qi was a woman of action. After seeing the brokers off, she took a servant and went to the Qi family's place.
Qi went over and brought over one of her elder brother's sons and one of his sons.
The "ge'er" among them was Ke'er, who had an ambiguous relationship with Liu Yuze.
The two of them came over, each accompanied by a servant.
Ke'er brought a maid and an elderly woman with her.
This was Ke'er's first time visiting the Qin family. He was supposed to come yesterday for Liu Qingyue's wedding.
However, because he had secretly run away and traveled all the way to the south by himself, he was grounded by his father and mother after he returned.
In addition, given the unusual circumstances yesterday, Qi was worried that someone might cause trouble, so she didn't let Ke'er come over to join in the fun.
Today, Madam Qi personally went to invite her. The Qi family wanted Ke'er and Liu Yuze to get engaged, so they didn't stop Ke'er from leaving the house.
Although the Liu family is now in decline, given the traditional social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, Liu Yuze was once a top scholar in the imperial examinations, so it would be considered a step up for the Qi family's son to marry him.
Because the Qi family originally came from a merchant family, even though they eventually managed to change their status to merchants, they were still essentially inferior to soldiers.
If the Liu family hadn't fallen on hard times and Ke'er hadn't risked everything to help Liu Yuze, it would have been very difficult for the two families to get engaged.
When Ke'er went to find Liu Qingyue, Liu Qingyue was frowning as she named the servants in her household.
When servants arrive at their home, they are given a new name.
Liu Qingyue isn't very good at naming things, so she's currently having a lot of trouble with it.
When Ke'er went in, he did not have a maid follow him.
He walked in with a smile, then asked softly, "Brother Yue, what are you busy with?"
When Qi was about to invite someone from the Qi family over, Liu Qingyue guessed that Ke'er would be there.
So when Liu Qingyue saw Ke'er coming over, she wasn't particularly surprised.
Liu Qingyue: "Ke'er, come quick, I'm having a problem right now, come and help me think of something."
Ke'er smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
“My family has just had a few new servants, and my mother asked me to name them.”
"Just pick a few names for the servants."
They're not anyone important.
"If you think it's that simple, then help me think of a few."
After hearing this, Ke'er thought for a moment and then wrote down a few names on the paper.
“The names of my servants are all based on flowers and plants, you can do the same for yours.”
Liu Qingyue picked up the paper and read aloud: "Wenxin, Wenlan, Wenzhu, Xiangsui, Xianglan, Xiangmei..."
"These are all for young men and women. We also have two guards and a groom in our household."
However, it must be admitted that Ke'er's chosen name was indeed more elegant than the name he had imagined.
Unlike him, he named his dog Bianbian, which clearly lacks any literary flair.
"Okay, can you help me think of a few more names? Once you've thought of some, Brother Yue will give you something delicious."
Liu Qingyue had a lot of delicious food in his hands. He asked Ke'er to sit down and think of a name for him, while he went to the next room to find some delicious food for him.
He put his dowry and betrothal gifts in the next room.
There were many delicious things among these items, all of which Qin Ren bought for him from the modern world.
He pulled out a box of chocolates from among those things.
He unwrapped the chocolate, put it on a plate, and then carried it over.
Ke'er, who had already chosen a name, curiously leaned over to look at the delicious food he brought over.
"Brother Yue, what is this?"
"This is called chocolate, and it tastes delicious."
"Really? I heard that Brother is a businessman from overseas. Did he bring this from overseas?"
"Yes, take a piece and try it."
Actually, you might not like chocolate the first time you try it.
When Liu Qingyue first tried it, she thought the dark chocolate was a bit bitter, and she didn't know if Ke'er would like it.
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